Nothing Short of a Miracle
by Soraya the All Speaker
Summary: What happens when a pregnancy becomes not one surprise, but two? Or more? Short string of connected drabbles.
1. Better Start Running

I first posted this series in my daily drabble fic, Tales of the Leaves - chapters 126-131. Decided they should be in their own little story =)

Thanks to Ella Unlimited for coming up for the title to the whole thing!

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><p>Better Start Running<p>

Tsunade shifted irritably at her desk, sighing for the fifth time in ten minutes and resting her head on her hands.

She simply _couldn't concentrate_.

Her eyes were drooping despite a full sleep the night before, and exhaustion permeated her bones.

With a groan she let her head drop down onto her desk, forehead thumping against a soft stack of paperwork. The resulting sound brought her assistant hurrying in, sending a worried glance at her mentor.

"Tsunade-_sama_?" Shizune asked, approaching the desk and the prone blonde woman tentatively. "It's only been two hours, and –" she paused, eyeing the desk and sniffing the air, "you haven't even had any _sake_! Are you okay?"

Tsunade waved her left hand in a vague gesture in the general direction of the raven haired woman, but didn't lift her head. "Can I stop for the day?" Even she winced at how pathetic and pitiful her voice sounded, but she really didn't feel as though she could work anymore.

Shizune frowned, mentally running over what she had just heard. Tsunade had never sounded so…_tired._ She wasn't _that_ old was she? Her eyes scanned over her mentor, cataloging the smooth wrinkle-free face, the noticeable bags below the eyes, the weariness present in the gaze. Maybe this was worth a check-up at the hospital…

"Tsunade-_sama_," she cleared her throat, serious eyes meeting Tsunade's when the _Hokage_ looked up at Shizune wearily. "You may have the day off if you accompany me to the hospital."

Tsunade's eyes widened, then her eyebrows drew together, obviously analyzing Shizune's reasons for wanting to go there. But she couldn't come up with anything. "_Why?"_ the blonde woman asked bluntly, still frowning.

Shizune cocked an eyebrow. "The promise of a day off isn't enough to tempt you?"

The rest of the words registered in Tsunade's head and she perked up noticeably. "You're sure?" If Shizune was serious that meant she would get out of a day of work for practically nothing! Definitely worth the trip. The _Hokage_ stood up swiftly, planting both hands on her desk and grinning at her assistant. "Let's go!"

Shizune moved to catch her mentor as the woman swayed slightly, dark eyes definitely worried now. There was no reason for Tsunade to be this weak. Unless the cause was medical.

The trip to the hospital was short, and Tsunade being the _Hokage_ with Shizune as her assistant garnered them a clean room immediately.

Tsunade sat down on the bed, crossing her arms and huffing as Shizune fetched her medical charts. "There's really nothing about me that I don't know already," she informed her assistant pithily, but obligingly leaned back as Shizune pressed lightly on her shoulder.

"Humor me," the shorter woman replied, and began running her _chakra_ coated hands down Tsunade's body, an inch above the woman's clothing. She searched for any irregularities in the system, any hints of fighting off an illness, or even just cell decay with age.

But when she was halfway through…Shizune's eyes popped open, but she didn't let Tsunade know of her alarm, finishing the scan in case she was mistaken.

She worked her way back up at the same pace, a smile growing on her lips as her idea was confirmed, until the raven was all out grinning.

"What's that smirk for?" Tsunade asked suspiciously as her assistant raised her eyes to look at the _Hokage_.

"I believe congratulations are in order," Shizune almost sang, and backed out of immediate physical range.

"Congratulations?" Tsunade's mind worked at a furious pace, connecting the sense of _chakra_ running through her body with Shizune's glee, and her final words. "What do you mean congratu –" A quick_chakra_ pulse through her own body revealed exactly what Shizune was talking about. "No way. No way no way no way!"

"I'd guess seven more months to go," Shizune told her mentor, almost deliriously happy and with a silly grin on her face. Then as Tsunade started up off the table and stalked towards her, she added, "I'm not the one to blame for this, I just discovered it!"

The _Hokage_ stopped stock still, face setting and turned to face the window. "No. But I know who is." Fists clenched, she tried to restrain herself, but couldn't. "_Jiraiya!"_ the blonde woman roared, voice shaking the hospital. "You better start running, you sorry piece of pervert! Because when I catch you there will be hell to pay!"

In the room Shizune collapsed against the wall, a stream of giggles issuing from her mouth. Maybe this would be good for Tsunade.


	2. Don't Be Poking Fingers

Don't Be Poking Fingers

The moment Tsunade had escaped her assistant at the hospital – which was after a complete physical check up to ensure her health – she went hunting.

She found her white-haired pervert lounging in a tree, conveniently placed over a river, and scribbling furiously.

He never heard her coming.

The first warning Jiraiya received was his tree tilting alarmingly, and he executed a graceful flip out of it, landing on his feet as his previous perch fell with a resounding crash behind him. "What was that for?" the sage asked the blonde woman in front of him calmly, observing her still extended fist.

Tsunade pulled back her arm, blowing lightly across her knuckles to dislodge any dust upon them, and grinned fiercely at Jiraiya. "Start running."

"Wha –" The man dodged quickly as a crater appeared where he had been standing. "Hey, what gives?"

Tsunade whipped around, blonde hair flying out behind her and punched again, this time taking down the tree directly behind Jiraiya. "Your fault."

"_What's_ my fault?" he asked, exasperated at her hitting without explaining.

"This!" and Tsunade made a vague gesture at her stomach. Jiraiya stared at it in puzzlement, unable to figure out what she was referring to.

Seeing his confusion, Tsunade paused in her fury and elaborated. "_You got me pregnant!_" Just hearing the words again sparked her temper, and she hit at the larger man again.

But this time Jiraiya was too stunned to dodge. He took the blow full in the ribs, flying back a few feet to hit the tree behind him with a _thump_. "Pregnant?" he squeaked, eyes fixated on her navel.

"Yes, and it's _all your fault_!" Tsunade approached him fighting to keep reign on her temper. "You seduced me into this, and didn't adequately prepare yourself!"

Now Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow. "It takes two to tango, and who's the medical specialist here? Don't tell me you don't know a _jutsu_ to prevent it?"

The looking down of her eyes told him well enough. "You really don't know one?"

"I never thought I'd _need_ one," she retorted, heat flooding her face. "I didn't count on you coming out of nowhere and _seducing me_!"

Her finger jabbed forward and hit him in the ribs. "Because of _you_, I'm now nearly three months pregnant with a kid I never expected to have! I'm the _Hokage_! How on _earth_ am I supposed to have the time to raise a kid and do my job?" Her finger shot forward a few more times, hitting him harder and harder as she lost control of her _chakra_.

"Tsunade?" the white-haired man finally managed to choke out, eyes wide. "You know, what with pregnancy being a long term thing, perhaps we can worry about that later and my ribs now?"

She stopped in her rant, eyebrows knitting as her eyes took in the man in front of her. He was pale and clasping a hand over his…ribs…exactly where…she had been poking…

"I think you broke my ribs," he gasped, leaning back against the tree for support. "I'm all for being there for you and the kid, but I have to be alive for that first!"

Tsunade blushed pink with embarrassment and grabbed Jiraiya, taking off for the hospital. But she didn't apologize.

"Back so soon?" Shizune asked her mentor as the blonde woman walked through the door carrying her burden. "Were you able to find – what did you do to him?" Her question changed the moment she spotted the white-haired man with his arm draped over Tsunade's shoulder for support.

"She broke my ribs," Jiraiya grinned at Shizune weakly, and gestured to the blonde woman. "I think she's mad."

The raven stifled a chuckle and signaled for one of the medics to bring a stretcher. "Well it is your fault."

"Not only!" Jiraiya pouted, crossing his arms only to hiss as the action jarred his ribs.

Shizune's raised eyebrow stopped his protests. "It's _always_ the man's fault," she advised the sage, shooting a glance at Tsunade. "Keep that in mind." Then he was rolled away for treatment.

Shizune immediately turned to her mentor, a large smirk on her features. "You broke his ribs?" she asked mischievously. Tsunade refused to look at her.

"I can't _wait_ to tell Naruto and Sakura!" the assistant began rubbing her hands together, only to stop as the buxom _Hokage_ shot a death glare at her.

"What?" The tone was menacing.

"You think they won't find out exactly what happened to their respective mentors? I'm going to have to film this!"

Shizune ducked her mentor's punch and ran out the hospital doors laughing.

"This is more trouble than it's going to be worth," Tsunade muttered to herself and slumped down onto the bench behind her.


	3. Students Hit the Floor

Students Hit the Floor

Tsunade rubbed at her temples with fingers that ached to close around something larger than a pen. "Send them in."

"Are you sure?" Shizune asked her mentor, worried about the stress evident in the _Hokage_'s posture.

"Yeah," the blonde woman sighed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "It has to be done eventually anyway, and the sooner the better. Send them in."

Shizune nodded and made her way to the door, sticking her head outside of one of the wooden leaves. "You can come in now."

Naruto came bounding in, followed more sedately by Sakura, who had her hands clasped in front of her body. "You called for us, _shishou?_"

"What gives, _baa-chan_?" Naruto butted in, not letting Tsunade answer. "_Nee-chan_ wouldn't tell us why we're here!" He sent a glare at Shizune who met it levelly.

"That is for Tsunade-_sama_ to tell you," she rebuked the boy, who simply grinned at her.

"So, _shishou?_" Sakura broke the silence, taking in her mentor's weary eyes, slumped posture, and…dry amusement? "Why are we here?"

"I called you two here, because believe it or not," Tsunade paused to draw a breath, "and I still don't quite believe it myself…"

"Spit it out_, baa-chan_!" Naruto interjected, placing both hands on the desk and staring at the woman.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and glared up at the exuberant blond. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, it has come to my attention that I'm pregnant."

There were two seconds of stunned silence, then Naruto's loud "_Nani!"_ echoed out of the office.

Sakura's eyes narrowed on her mentor as Naruto began pacing behind her, throwing his hands in the air and random gibberish emanating from his mouth. "You're positive?"

The blonde woman's eyebrow raised caustically, and she pinned Sakura with a wry look. "I am the best medical master in the world, Sakura. What do you think?"

Sakura bit her tongue sharply, then shot a glance over at Shizune, who was fighting a smile as she watched Naruto express his surprise. "You knew too?"

"I discovered it," Shizune grinned, then turned back to Naruto. "If you keep pacing like that, you'll wear a hole in the carpet."

The blond boy stopped abruptly, and turned to face Tsunade. "Who, how, what, when…gah!" Again his hands flew into the air helplessly, before landing on his head. "This isn't _right_!"

Tsunade let out a chuckle, leaning back in her chair. "If you need me to answer the how and what, you obviously haven't been paying attention."

Naruto's face flushed bright red as he realized what she was referring to. "Nooooo," he hastily told her, waving his hands in front of his face. "That's just…nooooo. But _who?_"

"Yes, _shishou_, who?" Sakura was just as curious as her teammate, pushing aside the slight medical mystery of a fifty-some year old woman becoming pregnant. In their world, anything was possible.

Now it was Tsunade's turn to color a dull red, and she placed both elbows on her desk, burying her face in her hands. "Um…"

Now Naruto's face lit up with glee at the prospect of twisting the answer out of the _Hokage_. "C'mon, _baa-chan_, you can't keep this secret from us!" He turned to the _Hokage's_ assistant who was trying to act very inconspicuous. "How about you, _nee-chan_? Do you know?"

Shizune shot a glance at Tsunade, who looked back with resigned eyes and nodded.

"_Hai_," the raven responded, and edged towards the door a bit further. "And it is…" she paused for effect, as well as to secure her escape route. "Jiraiya-_sama_." Then she shot out the door so as to preserve her eardrums.

Naruto's _"NANIIII!"_ shook the _Hokage _Tower itself.

Sakura collapsed heavily onto the floor in front of Tsunade, the news of the father doing what news of the pregnancy couldn't – completely stunning the pinkette. "Y-You're positive?" she squeaked out, looking up at her mentor with wide eyes.

Irony laced Tsunade's voice. "Yes, quite."

Naruto pointed a quivering finger at Tsunade, mouth wide and eyes disbelieving. "You…and him…and that…" the finger moved in the general direction of her stomach. It was too much for the poor blond, and he promptly keeled over.

Tsunade simply sighed as Sakura scrambled to check her teammate. "I knew this was going to happen," she muttered to herself under her breath. "I can just imagine his reaction when he actually sees the kid."


	4. Just a Stomach Bug

Just a Stomach Bug

"Shizune?" Tsunade repeated for the third time, trying to get her assistant's attention. The woman had become quite unresponsive, the oddest expression adorning her face. "Shizune?"

With a shake of her head, the raven looked at her mentor, eyes still slightly vacant. "_Hai_, Tsunade-_sama_?"

"Are you feeling okay?" the pregnant _Hokage_ asked, concerned for Shizune's health. She had only found out about being pregnant a week ago, and if her assistant was becoming ill – well, it wouldn't be a fun few weeks.

"Uh…I'm feeling…fine," Shizune answered, looking distracted as she frowned and her eyes moved away. "Perhaps a touch of stomach illness."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed upon the smaller woman, taking in her pale color and almost green tint. "Perhaps a touch? You are trained in the medical field as well, Shizune, perhaps you would be able to make a more concise diagnosis?"

The woman flushed, red stark against her otherwise white face, and mumbled something.

"What was that?" Tsunade asked, sure she had heard a few words interspaced.

"I don't have the kind of _chakra_ control at the moment to do such tests on my body," Shizune repeated, not meeting her mentor's golden eyes.

"Then allow me to do it for you," the green clad woman replied firmly, standing up from her desk.

Shizune looked up startled, before shock overtook her features and she darted from the room, a hand clasped over her mouth.

Tsunade stared first at the place the raven had been sitting, then at the door in puzzlement. "A minor stomach bug my ass." She got up as well, making her way to the bathroom she knew Shizune would be at.

Sure enough the smaller woman was crouched over a toilet, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Tsunade-_sama_, you didn't have to –" she began, only to be cut off as Tsunade crouched beside her, balancing perfectly on her heeled shoes.

"Shut up and let me scan you." Her voice was strict, but with an undertone of concern. "Can't have you getting sick right before the work starts piling up after all."

Shizune let out a small chuckle at that even as she sat back against the wall.

"This shouldn't hurt," Tsunade advised her assistant, placing both hands on Shizune's black clad shoulders. "If it does, there's something worse wrong with you."

The _Hokage_ sent her _chakra_ through Shizune's system, tendrils branching off to follow down her arms, hands, legs, and feet, while the rest remained in her torso. "No way," she breathed.

"What?" Shizune asked irritably, looking at the blonde woman leaning over her. "It's just a stomach bug!"

The buxom woman sat back on her heels, a grin beginning to spread over her features, and Shizune didn't like that grin, not one bit. "What?" she asked again.

"Looks like I'm not the only one to have a little surprise," Tsunade sang, triumphant grin growing almost impossibly wider.

"What do you mean?" the smaller woman asked, standing up to glare down at her mentor. "What surprise?" Then her eyes fixated on Tsunade's stomach. "No way, no no no…"

"Yup!" the _Hokage_ gloated, fluidly rising from her crouched position. "You're pregnant too!" Then she had to move to catch her assistant as the raven fainted dead away. "She took the news worse than I did…"


	5. Unexpected Interrogation

Unexpected Interrogation

"So, Shizune," Tsunade's smile was predatory as she advanced towards the bed her assistant had been restricted to since her fainting incident. Shizune had been put on a day's worth of bed rest so as to be sure she was fine. "Who is the father?"

"Yes, who?" Jiraiya chimed in from his position behind the blonde woman as he pulled up a chair next to the bed.

Shizune looked up from the medical text she had been reading, raising an eyebrow at the pair. "What do you mean, who?"

"Well, we haven't heard of you dating anybody, or even having a social life," Tsunade explained bluntly, ignoring the flush of red that spread across Shizune's cheeks at the slight dig. "So spill."

"Why should I tell you?" the raven retorted, pushing herself up higher in her bed and closing the book on her lap. "Then you would just have more dirt on me."

"I told you mine," Tsunade wheedled, pointing a thumb back at Jiraiya who was lounging in the chair, scribbling furiously in a notebook. "Stop that," she ordered him, snatching the papers from him and skimming through them absently before whipping around to glare at him. "This _isn't_ the time! I thought you agreed to help me get the man's name!"

Jiraiya simply shrugged. "Who can say when inspiration shall strike?" Then he winced as Tsunade ripped the journal in half. "I _really _wish you wouldn't do that."

The blonde woman ignored him, focusing her attention back on the smaller woman in the bed. "C'mon, he has to at least be in this village right?"

Shizune remained stubbornly silent, setting her lips and glaring mulishly at her _Hokage_.

"You haven't been out of Konoha in the past year, so he has to be," Tsunade mused to herself. "_Shinobi_ or civilian?"

"Definitely _shinobi_," Jiraiya chimed in, leaning forwards. "Look at how her eyes flickered when you said it."

Inwardly Shizune cursed, but didn't let any of her irritation show on her face. "Question all you want, I'm not going to tell you."

"Why _not?_" Tsunade asked petulantly, sounding for all the world like a five year old who didn't get their way, rather than a fifty-something year old woman who was going to have a child of her own.

"Because it's none of your business!" the assistant exclaimed, exasperated. "Nowhere in my contract does it say you have to know every detail of my personal life?"

"Not even as a friend?" the _Hokage_ whined. "Or as a pregnancy buddy?" Then all three sets of eyes snapped open wide at the last description. "Ohhh…"

"Can we forget you ever said that?" Jiraiya requested weakly, staring at Tsunade's abdomen. "Take this a day at a time…" Shizune nodded her agreement.

"Back to the topic at hand," Tsunade swiftly tried to change to subject. "Old or young? ANBU, _jounin, chuunin_? I doubt you would go for a _genin_. But who knows?" She grinned evilly as Shizune frowned at the mere idea. "Just messing with you."

"ANBU," answered the interrogated, rolling her eyes and pulling the sheet over her further up her body. "Just to keep you from getting an ideas."

"Information!" Tsunade crowed, shooting a victorious glance at her 'partner-in-crime'. "We're getting closer."

The white-haired man leaned forward, clasping his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. "Deployed, stationed, or patrol? Interrogation, espionage, combat?"

Shizune neither shook nor nodded her head, staring down the toad sage. "Nothing more."

"Aw, _come on_! I told you mine!" Tsunade repeated, frustrated.

"If you mean by telling me you screamed his name to the entire hospital then proceeded to hunt him down and break his ribs, yes I suppose you did tell me," Shizune replied equably. "But that doesn't mean I have to reciprocate."

The conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," Shizune called, frowning slightly.

The door opened to reveal Morino Ibiki, the head of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Unit, standing there with his arms crossed.

"Ibiki?" Tsunade questioned, bewildered as to why the man was there. He had no reason to visit Shizune unless… "Can we help you?"

"I need to speak with Shizune-_san_," the large man rumbled, eyes revealing nothing. "Alone."

The blonde woman would have protested, except that Ibiki wasn't known for visiting to exchange pleasantries, and not everything in the village regarding ANBU was immediately known to the _Hokage_. "Let's go, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya stood up and followed his leader out of the room, stopping to pick up the two pieces of his journal. "What was that about?"

"Who knows?" Tsunade responded, shrugging. "With Ibiki, the answer is never clear."

"Do you think he's…" the white-haired man began, looking contemplatively at the closed door.

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow, then waved her hand dismissively. "Nah. Could you even see the two of them together?"


	6. New Arrivals

We have reached the end of my pre-prepared parts of this series. I will mark it as complete, but if anyone had any further ideas they would like to see written out, I would be glad to oblige and add them onto the end of this. =)

Oh and to those who were trying to figure out who Shizune's man is...that is a secret that shall never be revealed =D *laughs evilly* Unless you have a very nice bribe of course ;P

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><p>New Arrivals<p>

Tsunade growled and shifted, determined to get comfortable with her cumbersome body. Not for the first time did she envy her assistant who was barely showing her pregnancy, even though they were both almost due. It wasn't _fair _Shizune hadn't had to change clothes at all during her pregnancy, while Tsunade had to go shopping every two months. "_Why_ did I let this happen to me again? She asked rhetorically, not even giving Shizune time to register the question as she answered herself. "Oh that's right I didn't. It's all _Jiraiya's_ fault!"

Shizune set her lips to prevent the smile that threatened to spread across her face, and simply nodded, knowing better than to disagree with her _sensei _when she was uncomfortable. It made for a very sharp temper.

The blonde woman stood up and stretched, her stomach a ball pushed out in front of her by the movement. She then immediately retracted, one hand going to the bottom of the swell as she winced, and the other hand going to her lower back. "Stupid twinges…"

Shizune's eyes shot over to her mentor at that, head whipping around. "Twinges? Where and how frequently?" she asked, immediately snapping into medical mode.

Tsunade looked slightly surprised, but answered concisely. "In my back and abdomen, and about every ten minutes or so."

Shizune swiftly cataloged the information, and came up with a prognosis. "You're in the early stages of labor! Tsunade-_sama_, you should get to the hospital –"

"I know I am," the _Hokage_ cut in smoothly. "I trained you after all."

Shizune's mouth snapped closed as she stared at her mentor. "Then…why are you still…why didn't you…"

"Take advantage of my condition to slack off work?" Tsunade chuckled even as Shizune nodded weakly. "Because I actually thought this through. If I take off work now, I'll just have more after I get out of the hospital when I'm cranky and tired – more so – than usual. When the contractions become more severe, then I shall move to the hospital." She winced again and Shizune could _see_ the muscles of her stomach ripple. "Such as now."

"Perhaps we should place the work on hold for the rest of the day," Shizune suggested, getting up, stomach barely noticeable for all she was nearly due, and walked over to where her mentor was scowling at the pain.

"Yes," the _Hokage_ growled out, clutching at the green fabric over her abdomen. "To the hospital." She didn't protest the raven's hands pulling her arm across the smaller woman's shoulders, nor the wheelchair called for her once they reached the hospital not far away. "Get Jiraiya."

Shizune snapped her gaze to one of the orderlies, who bowed immediately and ran out of the room, searching for the other _sannin_.

"Now…" the assistant began, turning back to her patient. "This may take a while."

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><p>Shizune sat in the chair outside the labor and delivery room, exhausted. It had been a relatively fast labor given her <em>sensei's<em> age, but twelve hours on her feet at nearly ten months pregnant was quite tiring. And there was that lower back pain that had plagued her.

Disregarding the pain, she re-entered the room, taking in the sight of Jiraiya nursing his hand in a corner while Tsunade gazed down at a pink-wrapped bundle in her arms. "Tsunade-_sama_, we'll have to take her soon to get measurements and…" she trailed off as golden eyes raised to gaze into her own dark ones.

"I know." The woman's voice was husky from screaming and…emotion. "But…" The sentence went unfinished as Tsunade looked back down at the child in her arms. "You'll see." She took in Shizune's posture and the expression playing across her features as pain shot through her back, and grinned. "Sooner rather than later I think."

Shizune looked at her mentor quizzically, then her eyes widened as she understood at the same time pain lanced through her abdomen. "No way."

"Yup! You'd better prepare yourself, because you just saw first-hand what it's going to be like," Tsunade told her student gleefully and not a little maliciously. "And you'll learn exactly how much you want to punch whoever says 'It's almost over, just one more push!' ten times."

Shizune rolled her eyes, only to hiss with pain as the muscle band across her stomach tightened harshly.

"Wheelchair!" Tsunade called from her position sitting up in the bed, and watched as a nurse hurried in. "She's in labor."

"Please sit, Shizune-_sama_," the nurse told the raven seriously, then glared when she wouldn't immediately. "Now."

"You better visit me when you get out!" Tsunade called from her position in the bed, even as another nurse came in to take the newborn from her.

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><p>Ten long hours later, Shizune whole-heartedly agreed with Tsunade regarding the phrase 'just one more push!'. There had been sixteen 'one more pushes', not that she had been counting.<p>

Her son had been taken away from her ten minutes after being born, to be placed in an incubator in the neonatal unit next to Tsunade and Jiraiya's daughter. From what she had seen, he took after both she and his father, who couldn't appear at the birth for a few reasons.

Two nurses came into her room and began wheeling her bed out. "Where are you taking me?" Shizune asked curiously, watching the halls go by. Too often she had been the one moving people, rather than being moved. It was a rather nice change.

"Tsunade-_sama_ has asked you be moved into her room as well," the nurse on the left replied, as they took a sharp turn and entered the room Shizune had left not half a day ago.

When she had a chance to look around, Shizune was surprised to see both Naruto and Sakura in the room as well, cooing over two incubators – two?

"Tsunade-_sama_?" the woman asked, pointing to where the two teenagers stood. "What are they doing in here?"

"Naruto and Sakura, or the babies?" the blonde asked placidly, looking over. "I asked for them to be moved in here, and of course those two showed up the moment your kid was born."

"Of course," Shizune muttered under her breath, although secretly she was pleased that they cared so much.

"_Nee-chan_, he's so cute!" Naruto exclaimed, turning around from the incubators to greet the new arrival.

"Who's his father?" Tsunade asked for the umpteenth time, as she had been doing for the past six months.

Still Shizune shook her head and grinned, not deigning to answer. "You'll find out soon enough."

In the incubators, the two children both stirred at the noises, turning towards each other sleepily, as though they knew the other was there even through the glass. The hearts of every person in the room melted at the sight.

"Think they'll be friends?" Shizune asked quietly, eyes not leaving the incubators.

"Of course," Tsunade replied just as softly, rare emotion suffusing her tone. "We won't let them be anything but."


	7. Deserving of a Punch

Thanks to Ella Unlimited for giving me the idea for this! And no, you still don't get to know who the guy is!

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><p>Deserving of a Punch<p>

"You finally came!" Shizune's eyes lit up at the sight of her husband standing outside of her room, filling the doorframe.

She was clutching her son to her chest, a small smile on her face from watching him sleep.

"How is he?" the man's voice rumbled as he moved into the room, pulling up the seat next to her and beginning to toy with one of his son's small hands. It opened as he pushed a fingertip into the boy's palm and the small fist closed tightly around the digit. "He's strong."

The small smile grew into a full blown grin. "Yes he is," she agreed looking down at…"We have to name him. I was waiting for you."

Startled, he met her eyes. "You did?"

"Of course! You should be a part of every portion of your son's life, and that includes naming him," Shizune insisted, then was distracted as her son yawned widely then opened his eyes. Her heart melted at the sight.

Blue eyes looked around the room, then focused firmly on his mother's face fifteen inches away from his own. With a small coo, he snuggled even closer into her warmth, letting go of his father's finger in the process. Shizune's arms tightened around him instinctively.

"How about Kisuke?" the man suggested, smiling at the sight of mother and son.

"Hmm…" Shizune mulled the name over, turning it around and around in her head. "I like it. I like it a lot."

"You sure?" Again her husband was surprised. Normally Shizune would think things through from all angles, with several possibilities for each problem.

"Yes." Her voice as strong, certain. "It's perfect."

"Can I hold him?" The man's voice was a contrast to Shizune's own, tentative. "Please?"

"Of course." With gentle hands, Shizune maneuvered the newly named Kisuke into an easier position for her husband to slip his own under the small body. "Support his head and neck – it's easiest to put them in the crook of your arm – and don't let him roll. His eyes can only focus about a foot and a quarter in front of him, so he should be able to see your face."

Both adults pretended not to notice that the large hand shook slightly as they reached out and scooped up the boy. "He's so…small."

"He didn't feel that way," Shizune rolled her eyes. "Trust me."

Her husband winced slightly, but then was lost in his son's eyes as they opened once more, piercing blue focusing on his face. "He's…perfect."

"Yes he is," Shizune agreed softly, taking in the tableau of husband and son.

The moment was ruined by the door bursting open and Tsunade rushing in, her own daughter cuddled in her arms. "Shizune! We decided on a name!" She was drawn up short as she took in the occupants of the room, then her eyes focused on the man. "_You_!"

"Yes, me," he chuckled. "What about me?"

"You...you're…he…" golden eyes darted between Shizune, her son, and her husband, and Tsunade shut her mouth and drew in a strong breath through her nose. "You're her husband and his father?" she managed to get out, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yes," he replied unperturbed. "What about it?"

Tsunade closed her eyes for a moment, assimilating the new information. "Never mind." Then her gaze darted to her assistant. "But don't think I'm letting you off the hook for this!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Shizune rolled her eyes. "So what did you name her?" she aptly changed the subject.

"Oh!" Tsunade was easily distracted. "We chose Kasumi!"

"That's beautiful," Shizune told her sincerely. "You got Jiraiya to agree?"

The blonde's gaze flickered slightly to the side. "Of course!" she replied too brightly.

Shizune raised an eyebrow at that response. "Is he in the hospital?"

"Maybe…" Tsunade evaded, looking down at her sleeping daughter.

"And how many broken bones does he have?"

"None! I can't believe you would think that of me," the older woman protested, although a smile flitted around the edges of her mouth.

"Well, prior experiences do add credence," the man added to the conversation.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Fine. Yes he's in the hospital. No it's not just to visit me. Yes I put him there…" she winced. "No there is no internal or lasting damage. It may be psychological…"

"What did you do?" Now Shizune was interested. Tsunade hadn't whipped out a punch?

"Well I would have gone with the normal routine but I was still sore," Tsunade complained. "So instead I scarred him for life with a mental image."

"I thought you said no lasting damage?"

The blonde woman pouted. "Whether it's lasting or not is up to him!"

"And what did he do to deserve such treatment?" Shizune's husband decided perhaps he should side with his fellow man – at least until he knew the reason.

"He suggested a name from his books."

"I would have punched him too," Shizune agreed whole-heartedly with her mentor.


	8. Outmaneuvered

By the time this chapter is over, you should be able to guess who Shizune's husband - and Kisuke's father - is! I left hints throughout the chapter, but if you really can't guess it after you're done reading, I'll tell you. ;P Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Outmaneuvered<p>

Shizune paused outside the ANBU headquarters to readjust the blanket around Kisuke in her arms before proceeding into the heated building. While spring was certainly on its way, there was still a nip in the air and she had no desire to see her child get sick this young.

"Ah, Shizune-_san_!" one of the ANBU, sporting a wolf mask, greeted her enthusiastically. "It's nice to see you finally up and about! How are you doing? And is this your and _taichou's_ child?"

"Yes this is Kisuke," Shizune smiled back, tilting her sleeping son slightly so the woman could get a glimpse of his face. "I'm doing well, thank you."

"Oh, he's so cute!" Wolf squealed, moving closer to get a better look. "He doesn't look very much like _taichou_ yet, and maybe that's a good thing." She winked at the new mother through her mask.

The raven laughed with the ANBU, attracting the attention of the few others lounging around the atrium.

"Shizune-_san_! Would you like me to go get _taichou_?" one called out from where he was sprawled across a couch. "I'm sure he would be glad to see you here."

"No, it's alright," Shizune responded. "We were planning on visiting him at work." As Kisuke began to stir slightly his mother readjusted him in her arms, tugging again at the blanket so it shielded his face from the lights lest they disturb him.

"Well you know where to find him," Wolf grinned at the _Hokage_'s assistant, subtly teasing her for all the times Shizune had come seeking out her man at the ANBU Headquarters.

With a mild glare at the woman Shizune brushed past her, but grinned as she did so, knowing the ANBU would discern she was joking.

The maze of corridors leading towards the portion of Headquarters her husband worked in was long and winding; if anyone infiltrated the building it wouldn't do for them to easily be able to take down the heads of the units. It had taken her four months and many embarrassed questions to ANBU for direction before Shizune had memorized the pathways.

Shifting her son who was beginning to stir again so he rested up against her shoulder, Shizune raised her free hand and rapped smartly on the door, listened for the "Come in," and pushed open the portal, entering her husband's domain.

"What is it?" the large man asked, spinning around in his chair. His eyes widened as he took in the tableau in front of him. "Shizune! What brings you here? And…" eyes focused on the small moving bundles nestled against her shoulder. "Kisuke!" In a swift movement at odds with his size, the ANBU _taichou_ was out of his chair and reaching for his son with heavily scarred hands.

"I don't know how I keep managing to startle you," Shizune teased her husband lightly, handing over her son who opened bright blue eyes at his father. Even in the past couple days they had begun to darken, but for now they were a shade of blue she loved.

He rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand over the bandana on his head even as his other held Kisuke to his chest securely. "Maybe I keep letting you." The light hit Shizune delivered to his shoulder affected him not in the slightest.

"So you're saying I don't have the skills to sneak up on you?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying…" the _taichou_ evaded the question. Belittling any woman was dangerous, magnified a hundredfold when that woman was your wife. Swiftly he changed the subject. "How has Kisuke been?"

Shizune sent him a knowing look but went along with it. "He's been sleeping most of the day, so he should wake up for a few hours soon…about now actually." Right on cue the baby boy stretched, little arms waving up out of the blanket wrapped loosely around him.

Immediately the gazes of both parents were drawn to their son as he blinked up at them, cooing softly. Then his face morphed to one of quizzical speculation, and finally scrunched up as he began to whimper.

"Shizune?" The normally unflappable man was far out of his depth.

"Here give him to me," she said, reaching out arms for her son once again. "He's probably hungry."

Relieved he hadn't done anything wrong, the scarred man handed the baby over and waved to a door behind his desk. "There's a small room back there if you want some privacy."

"That would be perfect," Shizune sent her husband a grateful glance.

No sooner had the door closed behind her and Kisuke stopped crying than another person entered her husband's office.

"_Godaime-sama_, what can I help you with today?"

_No way,_ Shizune thought to herself, rolling her eyes. _No way is this a coincidence. I bet she was tailing me here, waiting to catch the two of us together. She's firmly convinced we're pranking her._

"That's not right, is it Kisuke?" she whispered to her son as he ate. "It's her own fault if she won't believe it."

"I was just stopping by to see an old friend," Tsunade's voice came from the other room. "And I thought why shouldn't Kasumi meet her uncle?"

Similar choking noises came from both adults, hidden and not.

"Uncle?" the man questioned the moment he regained his composure. "How exactly am I her uncle?"

"Well, I figure Shizune is pretty much her aunt, or sister depending on which she wants to be, so you can either be her brother – highly unlikely – or her uncle!" Tsunade explained brightly. Shizune had no doubt a truly evil malicious grin was spread across her features at the moment.

For once he didn't have a comeback, instead staring first at the formidable blonde woman in front of him, and then at the tiny bundle in her arms.

"Perhaps I should consult Shizune," he finally replied slowly. "After all, I'm sure she would like to know of her…status."

"She does have you whipped, doesn't she?" Tsunade asked metaphorically, then grinned again as his eye twitched. "Fine, ask her. I'll be back in five minutes for my answer!"

Shizune heard the door creak open once again, and the receding clack of high heels.

The moment the sounds were gone she exploded out of the hidden room. "I can't believe she'd do that!"

"You're surprised?" her husband drawled, one lazy eyebrow cocked at her. "We are talking about the _Godaime _right?"

The raven paused for a moment, then acquiesced. "You're right. I should have expected it actually. Did you know she doesn't believe we're married and you are Kisuke's father? Never mind that she could easily do a paternity test to confirm it," she added under her breath.

"Two minutes!" Tsunade sang from her post outside the door, and chuckled when she heard Shizune's exclamation of rage inside. "This is too fun," the _Hokage_ commented down to her sleeping daughter. "You're going to love learning how to tease them in just the right way. Outwitting the mental master," she sighed dreamily. "A once in a lifetime chance."

Inside the room Shizune was glaring daggers at the door. "Tsunade-_sama_," she growled, but gave it up for a lost cause. "Fine. Uncle or brother?" she asked her husband directly.

He didn't even need to think about it. "Definitely uncle. Being her brother would put me below the _Godaime_, and I _refuse_ to let her have that kind of family leverage over me."

"Uncle it is," Shizune agreed. "That makes me her aunt, and Kisuke her cousin."

"Time's up!" Tsunade entered the room once again, grinning at the sight in front of her. "You can never hide from me," she chided her assistant, wiggling a finger at her. Shizune swatted it away, readjusting Kisuke against her shoulder. "So what's your decision?"

"Aunt and uncle," the _taichou_ answered for both of them.

"Aw, so you won't be my nephew?" the blonde woman fake-pouted, then grinned at the stunned expressions on both _shinobi_ in front of her. "I suppose brother-in-law will have to do! Well, _ja ne!"_

When she was gone for good this time Shizune turned to the scarred man next to her, and tugged on his trench coat. "I do believe we just got out maneuvered by a blonde. We'll never live this down."

"It never leaves this room," he agreed, wrapping arms around both wife and son. "If it got out the sadistic mental torture master was bested by the _Hokage_, I would never get my reputation back."


	9. Illogical Overprotectiveness

Thanks to Star Josherson for the idea!

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><p>Illogical Overprotectiveness<p>

Jiraiya peered over the railing of his daughter's crib at the small baby who was sleeping on her back, feet and arms slightly curled and head turned to the side. She was too cute.

He brush a hand over to top of her head, where very fine downy hair – the same color as her mother's – stuck up. "You're going to be a heartbreaker aren't you? Don't worry, I won't let any of those nasty boys get anywhere near you."

A muffled chuckle turned cough sounded behind him, and Jiraiya turned around to see Tsunade leaning against the doorframe, a hand covering her mouth.

"Did you say something?" he asked her archly, moving away from the crib so his voice wouldn't disturb Kasumi.

Tsunade drew him out of the room and shut the door softly, putting an extra barrier between their baby and their voices. "Already playing the overprotective father, are we?"

Jiraiya frowned at that. "I'm not being overprotective! Just think, with your beauty she's going to grow up to be stunning! And the boys will be falling all over her! They could take advantage of her, so I'm just going to save her from that." Then his black eyes widened as a possibility occurred to him.

"Or when she goes to the hot springs a pervert could peek on her! I won't let such a thing happen to her, she's my daughter! As her father it is my duty to protect her from the scum of the earth such as perverts and peekers!"

Tsunade stared at her husband for a second, then cocked an eyebrow. "Do you even hear yourself?" she asked him, genuinely curious. "You, the self-proclaimed biggest pervert in the world?"

"That's different!"

"How? When I went to tell you about Kasumi, you were peeking over the fence of the hot springs!"

"I was doing research for my novels," Jiraiya defended himself. "It was completely legitimate!"

"And how about the times I caught you peeking on me?"

"Pure male interest," he grinned, and snaked an arm around her waist. "I was simply admiring a goddess."

Tsunade slapped that arm away half-heartedly. "So if some boy comes up and tells you he was peeking on Kasumi because she's a goddess he wants to worship you'll just let him be?"

Fire blazed out of obsidian eyes. "_I'd kill him_."

"You followed me at the same age, everywhere, proclaiming just that thing. Then I beat you into the ground and broke most of your bones."

"That's exactly what I'd do to him!"

Tsunade let out a full laugh this time, leaning against the wall and Jiraiya for support. "You really don't hear yourself, do you? You preach one thing for Kasumi, but the same things you say you'll kill others for are the things you do!"

A full pout formed on Jiraiya's face. "You're not being fair! Kasumi's my daughter, and how else am I supposed to recognize those I must protect her from than to be the same? Like recognizes like you know."

His eyes widened again as yet another possibility occurred to her. "What if she wants to be a _kunoichi_ and she has to go on a seduction mission? You won't let her be assigned any of those, right?" he turned pleading puppy-dog eyes on Tsunade.

She froze at that possibility as well, staring wide eyed at the wall in front of her then turning her head slowly to look at the man next to her. "I would kill the target before I let her do one of those," she grated out.

"Good." Jiraiya relaxed in relief, only to straighten once more. "What if she gets a group of fanboys, and they abduct her and lock her in a room so they can admire her each day as their goddess and worship her, and we never see her again? Or she gets swamped by boys who want her hand in marriage who will fight to the death?"

He nodded decisively. "We'll just have to keep her in here all the time; that will save her from those monsters!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes and slipped out of Jiraiya's grasp, heading for her daughter's crib as her mother instincts told her Kasumi was waking up.

Sure enough the baby girl was stirring in her crib, bright eyes looking around curiously as her arms and legs waved in the air jerkily. The blonde woman peered down at her baby lovingly and cooed "You're daddy is crazy, yes he is, yes he is."

Kasumi let out a coo of her own at that, and Tsunade took it for agreement. "I knew you were smart, baby girl. You'll learn as you get older that he's crazier than he first appears. And that can be pretty crazy," she chuckled.

Kasumi reached out her small arms in the direction of her mother, trying to grasp at a tendril of blonde hair that swung over her. Tsunade leaned even closer, teasing her daughter as the hair grew closer, then ran her hand over Kasumi's stomach. The baby was immediately distracted, cooing once more.

Tsunade smiled at her and scooped up the child, bringing Kasumi into the crook of her elbow.

When she walked out of the room to take Kasumi into the living room, Jiraiya was still standing outside the door, rambling to himself.

The blonde woman shook her head with a grin for his foolishness, and pointed at the man. "See Kasumi? Daddy is crazy."


	10. What Could Go Wrong?

What Could Go Wrong?

"Naruto, I really need you to do this for us." Tsunade's hair was in disarray as she fought to keep her daughter from fisting her tiny hands in the blonde strands. "_Please_."

"Why should I do it?" the orange clad boy eyed the tableau suspiciously – Tsunade holding her daughter as Kasumi tried to pull her mother's pigtails out, giggling, and Shizune walking around the room desperately attempting to quiet down her son. The respective fathers were cowering in a corner – even Ibiki's normally unflappable calm had been disturbed by his son's unceasing screams.

"Because you're really nice and pity us?" Shizune suggested as she walked by. Naruto winced and covered his ears from the wail coming from the small boy.

"Not a chance."

"How about because if you don't I'll make sure you're given every single D-ranked mission for the next six months?" Tsunade threatened, once again disengaging her daughter and holding the five month out in front of her by two hands under the girl's armpits. Kasumi babbled and struggled to get forward and back to her favorite play thing.

"_Baa-chan_, that's not fair!"

"Take it or leave it, _gaki_. And what did I say about calling me '_baa-chan_'! Just for that –"

"Okay, okay, I'll do it," he cut her off hastily, not wanting to know what her retaliation would be. "Can I at least have Sakura-_chan_ help me?"

"That's actually a good idea," Shizune nodded, as Kisuke finally began to settle down. She didn't dare stop her pace lest he begin screaming again. "It would be good practice for Sakura and that way you would have a tag-team. In case these two get to be a bit much for one person…"

"Right…" Naruto eyed the two babies warily. "So when should we start?"

"How about now?" Tsunade chirped, shooting up from her desk and handing the giggling Kasumi to Naruto. His hair was immediately termed the new plaything and she wound her little fists into it. "I'll go find Sakura." In less than two seconds the blonde woman had disappeared.

"Traitor," Shizune muttered good-naturedly, lightly bouncing Kisuke in her arms as the boy finally began to smile. "Escaping the moment she has the chance…"

Naruto tried to balance Kasumi as she wriggled, looking around the room curiously. "Are you going to ditch me with him too?"

"No, I'll wait until Sakura comes to do that."

"How generous." The blond looked towards where Jiraiya and Ibiki were eyeing the babies like ticking bombs. "Do you want to hold her?"

"No, the joy can be all yours!" Jiraiya offered with a fixed smile. "I'll just…" and he made for the door, Ibiki following suit.

"Wimps!" Shizune called after the two. "_Real_ men would step up to the challenge! Not that there haven't been a few sleepless nights in our house where Ibiki was on duty," she added in an aside to Naruto. "The first time it happened, I thought he was a zombie when I woke up."

At that moment Tsunade came back, a slightly bewildered Sakura in tow. "_Shishou, _what's so important I had to come right now?" Then her eyes caught Naruto holding Kasumi, and Shizune standing against the wall with Kisuke in her arms. "Oh!" The pinkette made a direct beeline for the raven woman, arms open to receive the boy. "Can I hold him? Please?"

"Of course." Shizune handed the boy over to Sakura, then grinned. "After all, you'll be taking care of him for the next six hours, _ja ne_!" She was out the door in less than two seconds, grabbing Tsunade's arm as she left and tugging the unresisting blonde woman along with her. Sakura's confused cry of "What?" went unnoticed by the two.

"They dumped the kids on us and ran," Naruto clarified simply, grabbing Kasumi's arm in his hand as she reached for his _hitai-ate_. "Right now all four of them are probably laughing at us for being suckers."

Sakura began growling low in her throat. "If _shishou_ thinks I'm going to let her get away with this…" Then her attention was diverted as Kisuke began to cry once more.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shizune asked for the third time. She was beginning to have second thoughts about leaving the children with the two teenagers. "I mean, neither of them have a lot of experience, and we didn't really tell Sakura anything…"<p>

"Relax!" Tsunade told her, sinking further into the hot spring both women were currently in. "It's not as though those two haven't been hanging around us every waking moment since the kids were born anyway, they'll be fine! And _we_ get a few hours to ourselves without crying babies and _perverted men._" The last bit was directed to the wooden fence behind her that divided the women's spring from the men's, and she slammed a fist into it.

A distinct "Ow!" could be heard from the other side.

"I suppose you're right," the raven answered doubtfully. But that didn't keep her from looking in the direction of the _Hokage_ Tower from time to time as though she expected it to explode any second.

* * *

><p>"Why won't he stop crying?" Sakura was at the end of her sanity, Kisuke hadn't once stopped wailing since she had fed him after his mother had left. His diaper was clean, he refused to go to sleep, and she couldn't see any reason for him to be in pain, even going so far as to check him using medical <em>jutsu<em>. The noise was at an ear-splitting level, and she honestly thought she may go deaf in her left ear.

"Beats me, he was crying when I arrived," Naruto shot back, more than a little distracted. Somehow Kasumi had gotten her hands on a small bead, and it was in her mouth. Which she refused to open. He didn't really want to pry it out and accidentally hurt her, risking Tsunade's wrath, but at the same time, if she choked…he'd never see the light of day.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Eyes wide and more than a little disbelieving, Sakura watched as her teammate held Kasumi parallel to the ground, face down, and tickled the bottom of her feet. A shrill giggle emitted from the girl, and something small bounced to the floor.

"Getting this," he told her, standing back up and placing Kasumi down on the _Hokage's_ desk. He really didn't care if all the paperwork got messed up, it was Tsunade's fault for leaving them with the two kids. The small bead he displayed to the pinkette. "Why is there even a bead in this place to begin with?"

Sakura shrugged. "Who knows what goes through _shishou's_ mind. But I can't get Kisuke to stop crying! Want to trade?"

Before Naruto could respond, Kasumi opened her mouth to join her cousin in a wailing contest. "No! No no no! What did I do? What should I do? Ah…ah….I know! Peek-a-boo! All babies love peek-a-boo!" So deciding, the blond boy crouched in front of Kasumi, placing both hands over his face, then opening them quickly. "Peek-a-boo!" And again. "Peek-a-boo!"

The decibel level in the office climbed to a new high.

"It's not working!" Sakura had to shout to be heard over the babies now. "I give up! Let's just find Tsunade-_shishou_ and Shizune and give them back!"

"We can do that?" Naruto yelled back, picking Kasumi up from the desk as she tried to wriggle away, almost falling off and still crying.

"It's our only choice!"

* * *

><p>The two women were just changing when they heard the faint strains of baby distress. Reacting to base instinct, they were both outside in under five seconds, peering down the path to see Sakura and Naruto racing towards them, each carrying a burden.<p>

"Here! You take her!" The blond boy cried, sprinting the last hundred meters and thrusting a wailing baby girl into Tsunade's arms. Sakura followed suit with Kisuke, handing him off to Shizune with haste.

"What did you do?" Tsunade snapped, eyes fixed on her daughter as she ran a hand all over the girl, checking for any injuries. The noise level immediately started to decrease as Kasumi quieted, reaching up with a hand to grasp and Tsunade's still wet blonde hair.

"We didn't do anything!" he retorted, exasperated. "They wouldn't stop!"

Sakura was watching Shizune with a disbelieving expression as she cooed at her baby, who also began to quiet down, nuzzling into his mother's arms. "How do you _do _that?"

"Sure you didn't." Tsunade raised her eyes to glare at the boy in front of her. "She was _not_ crying when I left her with you."

"He played peek-a-boo with her," Sakura supplied helpfully.

Shifting Kasumi to the crook of her arm, Tsunade extended the other and hit Naruto soundly across the head. "You idiot! You _scared_ her! No wonder she wouldn't stop crying!"

"Hey, no fair _baa-chan_! It's not like we have kids of our own or anything!"

Dead silence. Ibiki and Jiraiya, who were just coming out of the men's side to see what all the commotion was about, stared at the two teammates strangely; Shizune's mouth dropped open.

"Is there anything you want to tell us?" Tsunade finally managed, her tone odd.

Sakura, blushing furiously, grabbed her teammate by the back of his jacket. "We'll just be going now. Ah…good luck." In a whirl of leaves the two were gone.

Shizune looked down at her son, who was now sleeping peacefully, even as Ibiki came over to take the boy. Once they had successfully completed the handoff she looked over at Tsunade. "If they ever…"

"We never mention that again."

"But if they…"

"Never. Understood?" Tsunade pinned all three adults with a death stare. Even the famed torture master cringed a little and nodded. "Good. Now, Jiraiya, since Naruto bailed, it's your turn." Before the unsuspecting Jiraiya could ask what she meant, he was holding Kasumi and Tsunade was headed back inside.

"H-Hey! What do you mean my turn?"

"You're her father, aren't you?" Tsunade shot back from inside the changing room. "Act like one!"

Shizune winced as Jiraiya glared at the entrance to the hot springs. "Act like a father she says. I'm a perfectly good father! The best father anyone could have…" he wandered off muttering under his breath, playing with Kasumi in his arms.

"Let me say how glad I am you didn't pick up that particular aspect from Tsunade-_sama_," Ibiki's gravelly voice rumbled next to Shizune's ear as he put his free arm around her; the other still being occupied by Kisuke.

She leaned into him gratefully. "You have no idea how glad I am of that too."


End file.
